Billy Hunter in Letter to NBA Players: Negotations ‘Far from Over’

We talked earlier today about the NBA team owners and players not being too far apart on a potential deal, and in the latest letter from the union to the players, Billy Hunter says an agreement isn’t out of reach, but plenty of dialogue remains. Per Yahoo! Sports: “In letter union sent to players today, Hunter and [Derek] Fisher say: ‘Yesterday, the owners gave us an opportunity to back down. We refused. Reducing our share of BRI by 7 points to 50% — a level we have not received since the early 1990’s — is not a fair split. Hunter reminds players that they’ve offered owners $185M per year giveback worth $1.1 billion over 6 year deal. ‘The clear message we have received from the players, and the one we will heed, is not to back down.’ Hunter suggested on Tuesday that deal was ‘on the 3-yard line.’ In letter to players, union calls negotiations ‘far from over.'”